ŞIRNEX - Veli Encü, who was imprisoned for 4 years after 17 lawsuits were filed against him while demanding justice for his brother and 33 others who were killed in the Roboskî massacre, "From Zîlan to Roboskî, the perpetrators have not been revealed. As the families of Roboskî, we stand by what we said on the first day. We want those responsible for the massacre to be punished," he says.

 

On 28 December 2011, 34 Kurds were massacred in Roboskî village of Qileban (Uludere) district of Şirnex (Şırnak) province in a bombardment by Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) warplanes. The investigation, which was initiated after the massacre on the grounds of "causing death by negligence" and was confidentialised, has not progressed a step further. While 13 years have passed since the massacre of 34 people and not a single person has been prosecuted, families seeking justice have been prosecuted, sentenced and arrested.

 

LAWSUITS FILED AGAINST FAMILIES

 

Şırnak Chief Public Prosecutor's Office concluded the lawsuit filed against Roboskî families in 2019 due to the banner in the village on 28 December 2015, the 4th anniversary of the massacre, with an acquittal.

 

To date, 17 lawsuits have been filed against Veli Encü, the Chair of the Roboskî Association, which was closed down by the Decree Law (KHK), who fought for justice for his brother Serhat Encü and 33 others in the massacre. Most of the lawsuits were filed on the grounds that he met with the families of Roboskî and his virtual media posts. Encü was arrested on 24 May 2019 and sentenced to 4 years in prison for "illegal organization membership". Encü was released in 2023 after 4 years of imprisonment.

 

Released after 4 years of imprisonment, Veli Encü made evaluations on the Roboskî massacre.

 

Veli Encü underlined that the families of Roboski have not given up their struggle for justice since the first day and said: "As the families of Roboski, we stand by what we said on the first day. Our demand is that those responsible for the massacre be found and punished. Until today, those responsible for this massacre have still not been found and punished."

 

Reminding that in 13 years not a single person has been held accountable before the judiciary, Encü stated that the perpetrators of any massacre against Kurds since the Zîlan massacre have not been revealed and punished. Stating that he had just been released from prison, "I was imprisoned for 4 years, the struggle for justice we have been waging since the Roboskî massacre was considered a crime and 17 lawsuits were filed against me. I was tried in separate files, but 13 years have passed and still not a single responsible person has been tried," he said. 

 

Encü said: "The perpetrators of no massacre in the history of Kurds have ever been prosecuted. On the contrary, the perpetrators were promoted and rewarded. From the Zîlan massacre to the Dêrsim massacre, none of the perpetrators were tried. Kurds were massacred in these massacres. That is why those responsible were not found and tried. We saw examples of this in Roboskî, Ankara and Pirsûs. This system of the state must change. We will not give up our struggle until those responsible for the Roboski massacre are found."

 

4 YEARS IN PRISON

 

"We believe that justice will be achieved if a common struggle is waged" said Encü and added: "In 2012, the first lawsuit was filed against me. Our phones were tapped then. Before Emine Erdoğan came here, we, the families of Roboski, were making preparations among ourselves and held meetings. All of these were shown as a crime. Interesting questions such as 'Why did you gather the families and what was your purpose in this?' were asked and investigations were started. Lawsuits were filed against me because of my social media posts. Here we were making our voices heard through social media, but even our posts were turned into investigations. We were put on trial and called to testify every day. Again, we had protests. We had marches and visits to the cemetery. They were also the subject of a lawsuit. They wanted us to keep quiet. During that period, a colonel here called the families and said to them, 'Why don't you give up this struggle? Suppose your children died in a bus accident'. In other words, he said that no matter how much the state persecutes you, you should keep quiet and accept it. We will never accept this and we will resist against it. We were persecuted and suffered great pain. We have not forgotten and we still demand the same as we demanded at that time."

 

Encü also touched upon the discussions on the solution of the Kurdish issue and underlined that a solution to the Kurdish issue would only be possible by exposing the massacres. Encü continued: "During the 2013-2015 solution process, we asked the state, 'If you are honest and want to solve the Kurdish issue, start with the Roboskî massacre.' We say the same thing now; if you are honest, you should start with Roboskî. At the moment, there are discussions by state officials about the solution and state officials say some things. But we say that the solution will only be possible if the Roboskî massacre is brought to light and those responsible are exposed. If this is done, perhaps the Kurdish people will believe in their sincerity. It is not possible without accountability." 

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut